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WNC turkey harvest shows decline

Karen Chávez
Published 8:39 p.m. ET June 7, 2014

The wild turkey harvest across North Carolina showed a decline this past spring season, but is still the second highest harvest on record.
(Photo:
Larry Price/National Wild Turkey Federation
,
Special to the Citizen-Times
)

Western North Carolina’s wild turkeys might be getting a little wilier.

According to the N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission’s wild turkey harvest summary for the 2014 spring season, hunters brought in 8 percent fewer turkeys than they did the previous spring season.

After five seasons of back-to-back record harvests, hunters harvested only 16,912 this year compared to 18,409 in 2013. The youth season harvest was down 4 percent from 2013 (1,149 this year vs. 1,193 last year).

While fewer turkeys were harvested this past spring season, the harvest is still the second highest harvest on record, said Evin Stanford, research biologist with the commission.

“This year’s harvest fits well within our long-term harvest trend,” he said. “This year was still the second highest harvest on record. In 2013, the harvest actually jumped way up. It was good weather last year, which was probably the biggest reason for the record, and we recruited new turkey hunters.”

A harvest decrease for this past season could have been expected given the significant harvest increase in 2013, as well as the fact that the past two years showed record low wild turkey productivity, Stanford said. A summer observation survey showed the poult/hen ratio was 1.6 for both 2012 and 2013, down from a ratio of 2 in previous years.

The spring turkey season ran from April 12-May 10 for male or bearded turkeys. For the second year, the youth season (for ages 15 and younger) ran for a week, from April 5-11, which was extended last year from a one-day hunt for youth only.

Bag limit is two turkeys per season, with a daily limit of one turkey. During youth season, hunters can only harvest one turkey.

Stanford said the state’s wild turkey population is still quite healthy, with an estimated 260,000 turkeys, at an average density of 6 turkeys per square mile. The wildlife’s commission’s District 8, which includes Burke County, has the highest density, with 10 turkeys per square mile.

District 9, which includes Buncombe and the westernmost counties, also has an average density of 6 turkeys. There were 249 turkeys harvested in Buncombe County this past spring, compared to 275 in 2013 and 261 in 2012.

“Harvest numbers can be affected by weather patterns, not only for the birds, but for the hunters — if it’s rainy they might not want to participate as much,” said Justin McVey, mountain region wildlife biologist.

“Having a later winter can also affect movement, and insect hatching. They eat hard mast and soft mast and insects during nesting season. There’s so many factors that can affect a harvest. We look at trends, we don’t get really alarmed by individual seasons. ”

Biologists say that data seems to indicate that the state’s turkey population in most areas is either stable or growing.

“We seem to have a robust turkey population,” Stanford said.

That’s a remarkable improvement from the early 20th century, when the wild turkey population was nearly decimated from over-hunting and habitat loss. Stanford said there were only 2,000 wild turkeys across the state in 1970. A statewide restoration effort began in the 1950s with the reintroduction of wild turkeys. The program ended in 2005.

“We don’t officially consider them restored,” Stanford said. “But we now have a turkey season in every county. Turkey populations and turkey hunting is going really well in the state.”

Learn more

For the full 2014 wild turkey harvest report from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, visit www.ncwildlife.org.